As the quad buzzes with students signing up for clubs on club day, one may not think about the effect these lunch-time groups have on our school. Multiple club presidents share their thoughts on the impacts clubs have on the community at the Piedmont High School.
“There’s some place for everybody on campus. And the more that we can support our students throughout the day, the better our students will be,” said ASB advisor Hayley Adams.
Adams is in charge of clubs at the high school. She said she is excited about clubs on campus and talked about their importance in supporting students and the community at Piedmont.
“That’s the safe space that we’re looking for on campus, because a lot of kids don’t have a place to go, and then they’re lonely,” Adams said.
Adams sees how students interact daily, and has noticed that if it weren’t for clubs, there would be plenty of students eating alone or on their cellphone or Chromebook during lunch. She predicts more clubs for various topics will improve engagement this year. She hopes these clubs bring more sense of belonging and community to PHS.
“I think clubs are going to be really important to really establish that community, because it gives students a chance to find something that they’re interested in,” said senior Grace Alonigreen, one of ASB’s Community Outreach Co-directors. She said she helps clubs get signed off and make sure they are fulfilling their purpose on campus of bringing together students over shared passions.
Adams and Alonigreen said that the presence of an advisor for clubs is often overlooked. Teacher advisors sponsor and host meetings, helping these groups succeed in their goals.
“The importance of them being involved is really just to have that guidance and support, especially since some of these advisors have been working with these clubs for a really long time. [Having] that extra support and guidance, or if they need help connecting with ASB, the advisors can be a really great bridge of support for them,” Alonigreen said. She said that history teacher Mrs. Cota has been sponsoring Jewish Student Union for a long time and that commitment is very helpful to clubs on campus.
“We have Carol Menz as our advisor, she’s the nurse at the Wellness Center. She’s always reaching out, making sure we’re on task. And she’s very helpful when it comes to ideas with our club. If we have issues with anything, she can always help us,” said Flow Club president Peyton Watson. Flow Club is dedicated to spreading period awareness and raising money for female products. “We have [feminine] product drives and bake sales to raise money and make sure people are aware of periods,” Watson said.
Teachers hosting clubs on top of their work outside of class requires lots of dedication and effort that can often go under the radar at times.
Teachers and advisors add a level of connection to clubs to help students’ ideas for clubs come to fruition.
Adams said there are 26-30 clubs in the beginning stages of being approved to host meetings this year. “That’s common, because when a senior leaves, you know, not everybody picks up the club, so we get a lot of turnover,” she said. There were upwards of 70 clubs last spring and Adams is expecting similar numbers this school year. Among the 70 clubs, there were only 22 advisors, Adams said ASB is pushing for more staff members hosting clubs in their classrooms at lunch.
“I see the same staff say yes and the same say no. It is always the English teachers who say yes, which is great, but it is unequal for kids doing a Science club and it has to be hosted by their English teacher,” Adams said.
“I would say a minority of clubs on campus are run by students just doing it for their college resumé. Clubs are a lot of work and usually the students willing to run clubs are dedicated to the topic,” said Jewish Student Union Co-President senior Quentin Shafroth.
Adams shared a similar opinion, saying that clubs that are not regularly meeting are usually weeded out. She said ASB is making sure clubs are recording minutes, going on trips and regularly hosting meetings this year.
“When a [student] wants to join a club, it is so disappointing when the club doesn’t end up meeting,” Adams said. She said that when a new student comes to Piedmont, the student’s counselor provides ASB with a list of the student’s interests, in hopes of getting them involved in the community and integrating with students with similar passions.
Senior Quentin Shafroth is the Co-president of the Jewish Student Union this year and is eager to expand the club this year.
“We want to get more people coming in and create a safe space for students on campus to create opportunities where we can cook Jewish food and learn stories about Jewish culture and roots, ” Shafroth said. JSU is hosted every Tuesday in room 27 by Mrs. Cota.
